How To Properly Treat Ingrown Toenails

It is important to treat ingrown toenails correctly so that they do not turn into a more serious problem. There are home remedies that will help speed up the healing process.

The ingrown toenails are the popular name of a disease of the nails, also known as the onychocryptose.

This problem is characterized by severe pain that mainly affects the thumb nail of the foot, and which most of the time produces inflammation or even infection.

It is very important to treat ingrown toenails correctly, so that they do not degenerate into more serious health problems.

For this reason, we are going to explain to you in this article, the complete process for treating ingrown toenails. And some tips to help you relieve this problem.

Steps to Treat Ingrown Toenails

• First, take a large enough container, in which you will soak your feet in hot water, for 15 to 20 minutes.
  The aim of this treatment is to relieve the pain, but above all to prevent possible infections in the affected area. You can use antibacterial soap for better results.
• After this time, dry your feet well and put some dental floss under your nail. It is very important to carry out this treatment frequently. And change the dental floss every day, to allow your fingernail to grow in the right direction. That is, by following the edge of your skin. 
• Cut your fingernails with a straight nail clipper and file them so that they are straight,  without any protruding edges. Avoid cutting the nails in a round shape, as this increases the risk of having an ingrown toenail.
• Use a local antibiotic  for immediate pain relief. You can find them in pharmacies as a gel, cream or ointment.
• During this treatment against ingrown toenails, it is best to wear open shoes so that the nail does not rub on the edge of the shoe, and that it is damaged more. So avoid wearing socks and closed shoes.

Home remedies to relieve ingrown toenails

In addition to performing the previously mentioned steps to cure your ingrown toenails, there are also some home remedies you can follow that will help speed up the recovery process.

• Onion juice. Squeeze the juice from an onion, and apply it directly to the affected nails. Wait for this juice to dry on the nail. Apply it frequently and you will see results quickly.
• Salted water. Prepare a salt water solution and apply it to the affected area just before going to bed. Bandage the finger in question after applying the remedy, and leave to act until the next morning.
• The lemon. Rub a lemon slice on the affected area and leave it on, securing it with a bandage, tape or gauze.
• Garlic. Garlic is considered to be a very powerful natural antibiotic, which can help fight nail infection and reduce the inflammation that occurs when the nail is ingrown. To do this, apply a little chopped garlic directly to the affected area.
• Essential tea tree oil. This essential oil works as a natural antibiotic which can help you prevent infection. Apply a few drops of tea tree essential oil directly to the affected area.
• The carrot. Wash and chop a carrot until you get a kind of paste, which you must then apply to the affected area. Cover with a bandage and leave on for several hours. This remedy can be repeated twice a day.

Additional recommendations

• If the pain becomes unbearable, it is best to see your doctor to prescribe pain medication.
• If you have diabetes, it is very important that you get medical attention when you want to treat the nail.
• When you are at home, walk barefoot so that your feet can breathe. This will greatly reduce the development of bacteria on the affected nail.
  Take into account that bacteria can easily spread in humid and hot environments, so you should minimize the use of closed shoes.
• Avoid using heeled or uncomfortable shoes.  There is no point in using these type of shoes for their aesthetic side, if once you get home you are in terrible pain. Keep in mind that the feet should not be oppressed by the shoes.
• Remember that nail hygiene is fundamental to preventing and combating ingrown toenails. It is important that you take care of them, clean them, and cut them correctly to prevent this problem from happening again.